As is known, disk brakes undergo severe stress, and optimum braking action depends on effective transmission of the braking force from the pad to the disk.
Research over the past few years has shown more is to be gained from a number of friction bodies on one pad than from one large friction body.
European Patent EP 1099061 describes a disk brake pad, in particular for railroad vehicles, comprising a number of friction members fixed to a supporting plate. Each friction member is elongated in shape, is fixed to the supporting plate by two rivets, and is positioned differently from the others with respect to concentric circles of the disk, while still maintaining an angle α of 0°<α≦45° with respect to the concentric circles of the disk.
The Applicant has surprisingly discovered that curved elongated friction members, all located along concentric circles of the disk, provide for improving performance in terms of both braking efficiency and noise.